This application claims priority of German Application No. 101 48 781.9, filed Sep. 28, 2001, the complete disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
a) Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a microscope support by means of which the microscope can be moved into an ergonomic position for the user.
b) Description of the Related Art
Microscopes are used in many work places in industry, in research facilities and in the health industry. Users are often compelled to work at the microscope in a given position over long periods of time. This often leads to problems such as pain in the back, shoulders or arms. These problems were recognized by microscope manufacturers and solutions were developed, for example, to adjust the height of the oculars or to arrange the operating controls within easy reach. However, adjustment of the height of for looking into the oculars requires considerable expenditure on the design of the optical system and is accordingly reserved for high-priced microscopes due to cost.
Also, microscopes are only manufactured in standard sizes and therefore can not be adapted in a flexible manner to the needs of the user.
In order to afford the user the possibility of adapting to his or her preferred posture at the microscope, it was already suggested early on to position the microscope on a support or base which makes the position of the microscope adaptable to the physical requirements of the user through height adjustment and inclination.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,604,815, dating from 1952, the microscope itself has three legs, one of which can be folded down, so that only the inclination of the microscope is adjustable. Further, this solution is relatively unstable and is no longer usable for modern microscopes because of their weight.
A similar solution is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,730,923. In this case, the microscope is tiltable about a shaft in the front portion facing the user and has, in its rear portion, a support that can lock into a frame in defined positions to achieve different inclinations. This solution has the same disadvantages as U.S. Pat. No. 2,604,815.
For a more sensitive adjustment of inclination, it was suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 5,517,354 to provide threaded bolts in the rear portion of the microscope support instead of catches so as to regulate the height and, therefore, the inclination in a continuous manner. This results in a convenient solution for adjusting inclination; however, in this solution, as in those mentioned above, the adjustment of inclination also changes the height and, therefore, the accessibility of the controls of the microscope. This leads to a lack of comfort for the user because the user can no longer operate the microscope while resting his or her forearms in the accustomed manner. In order to overcome this disadvantage, it was suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,705 that, in addition to a tilt adjustment of the microscope which is again implemented by catches, wedge-shaped arm supports are positioned next to the microscope in order to adapt the gripping height of the hands to the position of the controls at the tilted microscope. However, the height of these arm supports can not be varied. Further, because of their low weight (it is suggested that they be made of foamed material), they can easily be moved out of their optimal position by the user and must then be adjusted again.
Another disadvantage in these known solutions consists in that the viewing height for looking into the oculars changes with the tilt of the microscope, which can again lead to an uncomfortable posture for the user. Further, it may not be possible to achieve greater inclinations of the microscope which are desired for ergonomic reasons due to the intended microscope method, e.g., when using microscopes to examine preparations in petri dishes or the like.
It is the primary object of the invention to overcome the disadvantages in the prior art described above and to provide a microscope support which allows the change in the inclination and eye height of the microscope to be adapted to the needs of the user in a simple manner.
This object is met according to the invention by a microscope support for holding an optical microscope in an adjustable manner, comprising an essentially plate-shaped base body which has adjusting elements in its rear area for adjusting the inclination of the base body. The plate-shaped base body preferably has a cutout in the center for receiving a second plate-shaped part which is provided for attachment of the microscope. The second plate-shaped part is articulated in its rear area at the base body. Adjusting elements are provided in the front area of the second plate-shaped part for adjusting the inclination of the second plate-shaped part.
The special advantage of the invention consists in that the inclination of the microscope as well as the eye height of the ocular can be adapted to the demands of the user in a very simple manner. Further, it is ensured that the user can rest his or her forearms in the accustomed manner so as to reach the controls of the microscope in a relaxed posture.
The invention will be described more fully in the following with reference to a preferred embodiment example.